Navigation

Post navigation

If the government medical system does not function because of over inflated bureaucracy, patients will be killed. Unnecessarily. One of the biggest problems is the shortage of family doctors, or general practitioners, who are doctors with a medical degree. Specialists apparently we have. But wait times are years. For a large population of senior citizens this does not bode well. The system on Vancouver Island is driven by the Vancouver Island Health Authority, now operating within a so called electronic TRIAGE system.

There are several “arms” to this triage system: One is a variety and number of Walk-in Clinics in various locations; the second is 911 Emergency for hopefully some hospital (preferably not on weekends when most accidents occur); the third is an Ambulance system operated by a private company. The last on this list is: See your doctor. Wishful thinking. I never found out in fifteen years in Victoria, Vancouver Island, which doctor they refer to.

Walk In Clinics: The majority I know and have seen sprouting up over time have closed down, moved, or when there really is an emergency, cannot accommodate patients, because of the absence of enough doctors. One of the now available services are http://www.ehealth.ca for patients to allow access to their lab results.

Besides managing myself and relying on medical study and information research, gathered from very reputable world class clinics

Strangely enough, some of those nurse practitioners assume the title of Dr. without having any medical degree, or they are referred to as Medical Doctor (by the system) without correcting this. [Check with the College of Physicians and Surgeons, this is a No/No.]

Examples of personal horror stories over the years include: Fractured metatarsal foot — form for assistance to get to hospital DVT clinic/large blood clot, sent to Vancouver instead of Victoria where I reside. Severe osteoporosis needing every 3-year BMD test — form sent to Timbouktou ?, indicating low priority. Medical fitness form for Ministry of Justice for drivers license — exam paid by me $100 to doctor, but test done by some temporary nurse, who among others took one blood pressure only instead of several, while during the test try to chat with me and upset me, outcome was elevated blood pressure.

Rotator cuff and shoulder injury two years ago — getting me into a program of corticosteroid injections and see a physiatrist who suggested to sell me more of those steroids, after a large tear in my tendon had been confirmed. Thanks, but no thanks ! My right arm/shoulder is now disabled. I personally have yet to see the MRI images, showing the large tear in the supraspinatus/tendon, done June 2017.

Just recently, when mentioning that a certain condition that I have and am sure about (comparing the images on the Internet, published by the Mayo Clinic), I was told “Sorry, I am not familiar with this condition”, and next (and I quote): “I do not look at the Internet.”

It is appreciated that clinicians go by the health care rules. However, we all know that every minute of every day some new discoveries are being made especially in the medical field. We also all know that all useful information that has helped so many for so many years is coming to us via the Internet. One only needs to rely on all the NO FAKE news and research. I usually rely on the best world wide known and respected clinics, such as for example the Mayo Clinic, John Hopkins [ https://www.usnews.com/info/blogs/press-room/articles/2017-08-08/us-news-announces-2017-18-best-hospitals ]. (Myself having graduated from an old very reputable ivy league college in the USA, and specializing in information systems research.).

A city bridge building nightmare: Replacing the City of Victoria’s older Blue Bridge across a short span of water by the Inner Harbour with a monstrous newly designed bridge, whose design had started in 2009 and over time resulted in numerous design flaws and serious construction problems without to date not having accomplished an acceptable, simple, safe and correctly engineered design.

Victoria’s FOCUS Magazine, Chief Editor David Broadland, is publishing important and detailed information about the new bridge’s project history and the mistakes being made by those responsible and in charge of this project. {That’s where my nightmare scenario came in.}

Victoria BC is not a big city and compared with any larger municipalities and their own bridge building projects, this new to be built Johnson Street bridge (near its Inner Harbour) should have been completed years ago (having started around 2009), and to early specifications taking into account the high vulnerability of this (Pacific North West) location to major earth quakes. And – allowing for some budget overruns – should have been within the budget limits set.

Maybe I have missed something in all those years. I came to Victoria in the Fall of 2002. As a property owner since 2002 I also pay taxes to the city and its officials. The same people who have been screwing up this bridge building project so badly. Yet, I am not aware of any referendums or elections in all those years. If there were (and as quoted in FOCUS they were held), than I certainly would not have voted YES to anything that would have been proposed. May I apologize for anything I may have missed all those years ? [Food for thought: Committees just like Councils are notoriously known for not accomplishing anything.]. What was and is missing for such a project (albeit a small bridge) are professionals.

I like to thank FOCUS Magazine of Victoria and David Broadland for the excellent information distribution and research done on this project. It certainly enlightens the public. I assure you I will be there when the next civic election comes around.

A city bridge building nightmare: Replacing the City of Victoria’s older Blue Bridge across a short span of water by the Inner Harbour with a monstrous newly designed bridge, whose design had started in 2009 and over time resulted in numerous design flaws and serious construction problems. Not to mention the number of design consultants, engineers and other assorted groups contributing to this project and making a killing of income (through the City and its tax paying residents), without to date not having accomplished an acceptable, simple, safe and correctly engineered design.

A warning sign should have gone up when the major structural steel parts of this bridge (the two large rings supposed to lift the bridge deck) had been farmed out to be constructed in China with Chinese steel. In all these years this bridge building project has been going on, I never really noticed anything that questions the reason why these two major steel parts of Victoria’s bridge had to be built in China. To save money ? After already excessive millions had been spent on this project for design, consulting and (doing exactly what?), but not accomplishing much. Here is an interesting article regarding construction quality in China, written by a Chinese. [ https://business-humanrights.org/en/china-poor-quality-construction-work-low-standards-lead-to-fatal-building-collapses-says-analyst ]. No wonder that the two large steel rings arriving here in Victoria have major design flaws and already needed patch up repair.

Personally, I would avoid using this bridge once it gets finished. Not only because of design flaws that can lead to collapse even with a high wind, but also because I am certain that this bridge like all construction in Victoria, BC, is not built earth quake proof.

We are in quake country in a highly seismic zone in the Pacific North West. A major quake and resulting tsunami will come. Did any of those early design consultants and engineers even consider to take this into consideration ? Of course not. Once the bridge is in place, those responsible for design, consulting, and building (not least the City itself) will have “left the building” – in other words, like the rats leaving the sinking ship.

It always amazes me how few property owners (either already owning a condo or contemplating buying into one, exchanging their home) know the consequences of being a condo unit holder. A condo is not just an apartment, far from it, or a living space, in fact condo ownership is equivalent to any share ownership in any corporation. A condo corporation is the overriding corporate entity responsible for jointly owning, managing and controlling a condominium building, whereby each owner has the right to vote (usually during an annually occuring General Meeting) jointly with all co-owners. As it is impossible and not practical that all owners in a condo building also manage the day to day operation, there will usually be a property management company – who are non-owners – responsible for this, paid for by all condo owners. Mostly – also for practical purposes – represented by a Council, all of whom should be owners.
In other words, condo owners cannot easily control what changes or improvements they may want to make to their units, nor can they control (except by special vote) what expenses are required for the building and grounds. If expenditures are mismanaged, it can blow a big hole into the (jointly owned) contingency fund.
The only advice I can give to prospective purchasers of a condo: look closely at who manages a condo building, even more closely check out the finances, how much is the remaining contingency fund.
It is well known that buildings depreciate at an alarming rate, the only appreciation comes from the land base and/or is market driven. And older buildings in the absence of sufficient funds require regular special levies over and above the monthly condo fees. In the long run this can cost a unit holder a fortune.
Alternatives to condo ownership are: Either remain in your house and stay in control. Or, sell out and rent, use the money for paying a portion of the rental costs. This way, you can travel whenever you want.

The earliest Women’s Day observance was held on February 28, 1909, in New York and organized by the Socialist Party of America. It started as International Working Women’s Day. Somehow this is connected with the rise of socialism in society and also as a result of male shortages after two world wars, that women were forced to do men’s work. Particularly in countries that were hardest hit by those wars: Russia, Germany. After the almost complete destruction of my homeland workers were needed to re-construct. We called them Trümmerfrauen [ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tr%C3%BCmmerfrau ] women who cleared the rubble left by Allied aerial bombings and started with shovel, pick and axe to rebuild, in the absence of men (fallen at the front lines).

I admire more than anything Russia’s women, who as early as 1907 started revolutionary movements against the Russian Monarchy, resulting in the abdication of Czar Nicholas II, and beginning the Russian revolution, March 8, 1917. More on feminist reforms from 1850 to 1917 in Russia [ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women_in_Russia ]. While the rest of the world needed to wait to get women into the actual forefront of becoming real laborers. Talking about those who don’t wait for some husband to carry out the garbage or drive the car.

The right to vote is not all that makes a woman more equal than a man. Hard labor is, equal labor is and taking the same decisions as any man, even when married. I always feel when a woman is married, she can never be quite equal. Only when she needs to work to survive, or when she is by circumstance a single mother. How does voting right enables a woman to become more equal if she is still under male guardianship, like in Saudi Arabia, where dress codes are imposed and enforced.

In North America, today’s women’s rights movement is more about fighting for pay equality, getting more women into board rooms, or the military. Although military means that women soldiers must suffer sexual abuse by male soldiers. What do they do ? complain to their commanders. Meaning that they are not equal to men, else they would help themselves.

Case studies. Unbelievable. It is 2017, not the 1960s when many Latin Americans came into Canada claiming refugee status. A couple with child, a second on the way, walking across the border from the United States, claiming refugee status from Donald Trump’s new policies, “to clean up the country of illegal migrants.” Pretending that if they are sent back to Honduras, the man will be recruited by some drug gangs. Even in Honduras there are not only drug gangs, there are also working citizens, contributing to the economy. These same people have lived in the US for two years, never accomplished to settle with proper jobs and integrate and get residency. Now claiming refugee status. How can Honduran war gangs have such a long arm to recruit (illegally migrated) Hondurans inside the USA ? Canada seems to be stuck with everybody and anybody. Welfare system exploitation, on the shoulders of hard working Canadian tax payers.

Myself came into Canada with an expired student visa, just completed my graduate studies degree program at a US University in New York State, with a 8 year old son, his father died two years previously in Europe, no family, no money, no food, living in my little car for weeks. Did not take me two years (on welfare ?!), but couple weeks to fight myself into the system and find a mediocre programming job (in Europe I had top IT positions, and a US graduate degree in Information Processing and IT) for starters. Never in my entire life and as a single mother did I get one single dime from any country. Neither my own then, or after becoming a Canadian citizen. Even when the oil industry busted in Alberta and all of us were unemployed did anybody get unemployment insurance. You pack up, get into your truck and go where the jobs are.

Ever heard of “off-gassing” ? How about VOC – volatile organic compound ? [ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volatile_organic_compound ] Paints, stains, caulking, appliances, cleaners, new carpets – the backing of it – can contain high amounts of VOCs. These VOCs not only are the cause of offensive vapors and odors, but the active chemicals released can be dangerous to human health and can cause harm to the environment. New carpets, particularly nylon carpets, can contain highly toxic substances including formaldehyde and acetaldehyde. To those customers who purchase new household items and who are (as we call it) ‘nose-blind’, odors and fumes can be negligeable. That would most logically apply to owners of large department stores who are daily surrounded by their “off-gassing” products.

My own recent experiences recounting, let me first say that in forty years and many new carpet installations I had never experienced before any such “off-gassing” as with the last nylon carpet installed recently in my bedroom. I was told in the store that the carpet manufacturer – a large company in North America – has special awards for manufacturing carpets with LOW emission VOCs. (At that time I did not even know what VOCs are.).

After installing that carpet, over night the off-gassing drove me out of the room. Within one day I was beginning to show signs of serious upper respiratory problems, all-night coughing and keeping me awake. I moved my bed into the living room. Within three days I ordered an expensive air purifier with strong carbon filter for processing VOCs, to install in my bedroom, and leave the window open day and night. It has now been two months since installing that carpet, myself still using my living room to sleep in. During that time there were various contacts with the store where I purchased that carpet. The carpet store did not come forward with any decent customer service (except ‘replacing the carpet with one similar’.) But instead referred the case to the manufacturer, who in turn maintains to have a super record for their products. No tests were done to confirm the level of VOCs. The carpet manufacturer’s warranty is for stains and soiled carpet only, but not for health-related problems caused by excessive off-gassing.

In summary: Is it worthwhile to purchase products that can cause both health and financial problems ? or, do research prior to any purchase to investigate which products are the least “off-gassing”, offensive and dangerous, and which companies are trustworthy ? I would advise,the latter.

do not deserve negative commentaries the likes of “you asked for it”, or “Fort McMurray hell on earth with oil sands developments destroying the environment”.

Myself, I worked for Suncor, Fort McMurray, on a computer contract in 1987. When I arrived in my old farm truck, I did not have a place to sleep. Prepared to spending the night parked in a street, sleeping in my truck (like so many times on the road). A lady saw me from their kitchen window, came down and offered me a sleeping place in the couple’s kitchen for that night, until I could find a room for rent. These were the years after the oil industry downturn.

Those who publish vicious comments on the plight of the Fort McMurray residents who had to leave their homes in a hurry, have apparently never experienced any losses. Like we had, loosing everything during WW2, and again during the 1980s in Alberta. Being forced to drive between Alberta and Ottawa to work on computer contracts.

Amazingly, fund raising – as usual – in full swing, which is good and can be bad, with some organizations again making profits lining their pockets with millions of donated moneys. I want to see that all donations actually go to those who need them, the people of Fort McMurray.

As travel as a pastime, entertainment and necessity has become one the biggest ticket items sold and bought on the Internet, particular by a large seniors’ population, who incidentally require more than anybody else PEACE OF MIND (Oh my God, maybe I suffer a stroke while enjoying myself in a foreign country !), Insurance companies are advertising and selling at all cost and pressurising travelers to buy travel insurance. Sell at all cost, make as an agent your (who knows) 40% commission, but under no circumstances provide the most needed coverage to some poor sod who happens to have travelled out of country. Is travel insurance then useless ? unwanted ? not needed ? not necessary ? I would say so. Today when everything is bought and sold online, how do insurances make money ? They make money on the people who never use it. [ quoted from http://viewfromthewing.boardingarea.com/2013/05/24/the-travel-insurance-scam-read-this-post-before-you-book-your-next-trip/ ].
Point in case: Travel to Europe. Spend several months. Before leaving, buy some travel insurance package, including cancellation insurance, emergency medical insurance, delayed or lost baggage. The insurance company will provide an emergency phone number for the traveller. As you know, in Europe almost no one uses any landline phone, everybody is on a mobile phone (or as we call it: cell phone). Meaning expensive air time and roaming charges. When calling from Europe to North America, where these insurance agents physically reside, nothing but problems with their CALL COLLECT or TOLL FREE phone number (that would only work in North America). Call Collect works in misterious ways. A traveler has a medical emergency and needs to phone the insurance within 72 hours of that incident. If that person ends up in a hospital, a payment out front must be made (give me your credit card!). If that poor traveler is unconscious, he or she will most probably lie in some corner in the hospital, never waking up. Meanwhile the period of 72 hours to call the Travel Insurance overseas, has passed, and the policy is invalid. My recent case: I just spend three months in the South of France, using my cell phone with a French SIM card, that when used costs me a fortune, even if I would ever reach some call collect number. It would be an anwering machine, and waiting times at least ten minutes, costing from Europe like €20 at least. No matter, what kind of contact number the insurance gives you, there are still air time and roaming charges. Call Collect always costs the caller. [ http://www.howtocallabroad.com/qa/toll-free.html ] While international “Toll Free” numbers may work for the insurance company who sells them (usually residing North America), but not for the international traveler who tries to use them. All those (emergency call) numbers offered by North American insurance companies are foremost controlled by the country where a traveler currently resides.
Before leaving I had bought at Pacific Blue Cross $878 travel insurance for three months to cover emergency medical, and cancellation. When I needed them, using their Medi Assist call collect number, no contact, no way to reach them, my service provider hung up. Meanwhile I could have used a small amount (like not more than €50 to pay for a Doctor or Pharmacy). For the Pacific Blue Cross I tested their phone numbers after my return, typical wait times were way over ten minutes. The travel insurance industry has figured out that according to statistics – comparing insurances sold and emergencies covered – it has become extremely profitable to sell travel medical emergency insurance.
As mentioned before, insurances make money on the people who never use it.

Many times I travel from North America to Europe, there is a problem with any of my Bank cards, either my regular Debit Card or a major Credit Card. The problem being not, that they are stolen or compromised by some hackers, the problem is always with the Banks themselves and their method of contacting them when such emergencies arise. Over the past years this situation has worsened because of the changing and more complex security devices the Banks invent. There are two types of banking privileges that can be cancelled by a Bank while out of country: (a) Using the bank card to get cash out of a banking (ATM) machine, or for payments; (b) access to online banking. Both are important to have as a traveler while having to rely on a mobile phone. But the worst situation arises if there is no way to contact the Bank. Mostly for technical reasons, telephone services, expensive mobile phones (foreign SIM cards and providers), and the banking telephone system itself: Either offering an international toll-free number, or even worse offering clients a call collect number. On another occasion, years ago, when my bank card got cancelled, I called a “collect” number, got someone from my bank on the phone who told me: “we do not accept charges”.
I have two cards, my regular bank card (that works via ATM, international Interac and PLUS* displayed almost anywhere), but which I not use anymore because it got cancelled in Europe (security reason, because I had removed several times a few hundred €). And my Credit Card, most precious, because it can be used anywhere for paying anything even food and super markets, and cash advances via ATM. Two cards from two different banks, I have been client of for at least thirty years.
However, if using a credit card for all payments, then when the payment for the card is due, it needs to be paid using online banking. One cannot pay off a credit card with the same credit card. This time in Europe for three months both my bank cards got cancelled/or suspended: (1) Credit Card because I accessed my online banking with my iPad tablet, a device the bank did not recognize. At least I could connect easily with the Bank and resolve that issue. (2) My online banking with my regular bank, because of a new security system, my error in logon, and telephone connection problems (I have an old unblocked cell phone, using a foreign SIM card), on my cell phone cannot enter other than regular phone numbers, but not bank card numbers, therefore, when calling I got cut off by my foreign phone provider.
This time I have someone here in Europe try out with a smart phone the process to connect to my bank with their ‘international toll free number’, going thru the process. If it works, then it is that old regular cell phone of mine, that is not usable. From all this, it appears that the safest way to have any money on you (at least for food) is, to take sufficient cash with you. Like in the old days. Either way, I still always inform my Banks that I will be out of country, and where, and how long.
It should always be remembered, that any banking or debit or credit cards are property of a Bank, not property of a client. Therefore, can be cancelled/suspended anytime by the Banks’ security system. The client does not need to know the reason. The client only needs to store their money with those Banks.